This question comes up on every long connection, and the honest answer is: usually yes, but it depends on four things that have nothing to do with each other. Get all four right and a seven hour layover becomes a city visit. Get one wrong and you miss a flight.
Check them in order, it takes about ten minutes.
The four conditions
First, immigration: you need the legal right to enter, which may mean a visa, an electronic authorisation, or nothing at all depending on your passport. Second, baggage: if checked through, it stays in the system, if not you have to collect and re check. Third, time: you need enough hours to make it worthwhile after transfer and security. Fourth, transport: a reliable way in and out that runs at the hours you need.
Also note that leaving means passing security again on return, and queues can be unpredictable.
Step by step
Step 1: Check entry rules for your nationality
Look at the official immigration site for the country, not a forum. Some countries offer specific transit visa waivers or free transit tours for connecting passengers, which are worth knowing about.
Step 2: Confirm your baggage status
Ask at check in for the first flight whether your bag is tagged through to the final destination. If it is, you can leave without touching it. If not, plan for collection and re check, and confirm when the desk opens.
Step 3: Build the timeline backwards
Take your departure time, subtract sixty to ninety minutes for being at the gate, then security and immigration, then the journey back. Whatever is left is your actual time in the city. If that number is under two hours, stay in the airport.
Step 4: Keep the essentials with you
Passport, boarding passes, phone, charger, medication and a payment card. Use luggage storage for the rest. Keep your return transport option saved offline and set an alarm for the time you must start heading back.
